Declaring Freedom
For 17 long, summer days in Philadelphia, a young man from Virginia worked
tirelessly to draft the document that would ultimately revolutionize the world.
With a quill pen and a bottle of ink, Thomas Jefferson wrote and rewrote the words that became the
Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson
presented his draft to a five-man committee, which included
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R.
Livingston. After more than 80 changes,
the final Declaration
of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the only two future Presidents to
sign the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration first appeared in a newspaper on July 6, 1776,
and George Washington arranged for the document to be read to his troops on July 9, 1776.
Celebrations to commemorate the Declaration of Independence began in 1777.

Live WebcastWatch the Fireworks on the National Mall display from the roof of the East Colonade of the White House.